The Project

Recent changes in the demographic and economic composition of the neighborhood have catalyzed significant planning efforts that have sought to address and adapt to changing realities. This plan is informed by the work of past engagement, and seeks to build on community insights by offering specific design solutions. In 2021, community members, the Nature Conservancy (TNC), Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), Daylight, Borderless Studio, and area leaders collaborated to develop an inclusive community engagement strategy about stormwater credit trading and its relevance to McKinley Park. Planners developed communication materials and activities tailored to the McKinley Park and South Branch communities to create a shared understanding of the potential of stormwater credit trading and to obtain insights and feedback from residents that could inform policy recommendations for the broader city of Chicago. Also in 2021, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) finalized and launched a neighborhood plan for McKinley Park, developed via extensive engagement with local residents and the McKinley Park Development Council (MPDC). This plan established a number of broad goals to help move McKinley Park in a positive direction toward a more secure and sustainable future. In addition to studying past plans, our team had frequent discussions with MPDC, interviewed local business owners, circulated a survey, and held several community engagement sessions. Our role as planners and designers was to facilitate the creation of an area plan by and for current residents.

“These are ideas that are coming from the neighborhood, not ideas that a developer is bringing into the neighborhood. We want it to be what people who live here actually want.” Kate Eakin, MPDC

Based on past plans and our conversations with MPDC members, we identified three main nodes we felt were vital for revisioning the future of the neighborhood. • Site 1: The 35th and Archer Orange Line “L” Station and the adjacent lot at Leavitt and 35th • Site 2: The Central Manufacturing District (CMD) and clock tower • Site 3: The 35th Street corridor from Western Ave to Paulina Ave Each of these sites possess unique challenges and incredible opportunities for intervention. After identifying the sites, we turned our attention towards engagemet to understand community concerns and preferences before conceptualizing designs for each site.

Site 1: 35th/Archer Orange Line and surrounding area Site 2: Central Manufacturing District (CMD) and Clock Tower Site 3: 35th Street between Western and Paulina